Botanical name: Tithonia diversifolia
Giant Mexican Sunflower, Japanese sunflower, Shrub sunflower, Tree marigold is an impressive member of the sunflower family, Asteraceae. Tithonia was named for Tithonus, a legendary Trojan loved by the dawn goddess Eos, who turned him into a grasshopper. Giant Mexican Sunflower is a perennial native of Mexico and Central America and is naturalized in India. It is a tall shrub, 1-3 m high. Stem is stout, erect, densely hairy. Alternately arranged broadly ovate leaves (lobed or simple) are 15-25 cm long. Large single flower-heads are orange-yellow, 10-15 cm across. In Manipur, flower-heads are used for wounds and bruises. I took this photograph in the evening of 3rd January, 2012 from my native place.
